Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Content Creators Petition To Unionize

The content staff at Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corp., the home of Pittsburgh’s NPR news station 90.5 WESA and independent music station 91.3 WYEP, have announced their intention to form a union with SAG-AFTRA.

A supermajority of eligible staff signed a petition which was delivered to management this morning, Tuesday, Aug. 30. The bargaining unit includes hosts and disc jockeys, reporters, editors, producers, and others.

“We will approach this process in the spirit of collaboration and professionalism, and urge PCBC leadership to do the same by voluntarily recognizing the union and begin bargaining in good faith with us,” said the organizing committee. “As a union town, Pittsburgh’s public radio stations should be union shops.”

“SAG-AFTRA welcomes the talented content staff at Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corp.,” said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.  “This tireless and dedicated team brings thought-provoking and entertaining programming to their communities daily, and it is only right that that their collective voice be heard in decision making affecting their work lives."

Key among the new union’s goals are securing livable, equitable wages for staff, and improving the company’s approach to diversity, equity and inclusion. The union also seeks to create a more supportive and transparent workplace to help strengthen PCBC as an organization.

In addition to NPR, SAG-AFTRA represents employees at more than a dozen public radio stations across the country, including WHYY and WNYC. Journalists at Pittsburgh media outlets KDKA-TV, KDKA-AM, WTAE-TV, and WPXI-TV are also represented by SAG-AFTRA.

Kevin Gavin, Host of WESA’s The Confluence
“I am a public radio lifer — 45 years and counting — because I believe so deeply in the mission, the goals, the responsibility of public radio journalism and its impact on listeners and the community at large. I am so proud of my colleagues, past and present, and the contributions they’ve made to inform and make our region a more engaged and better connected community. I believe we as a group of journalists have so much more to offer to our listeners as well as PCBC, and a union will provide us with the professional security to help accomplish our mission. I invite PCBC management to invest in the content creators, the journalists, whom our listeners and members rely on, so we can continue to make a difference.”

Joey Spehar, Host of WYEP’s Morning Mix
“When I started my career at WYEP 10 years ago, I said I’d be proud to share music with the people of my hometown until I retire. I still feel that way. But as a single parent, especially, I feel that organizing our labor force is the only way to ensure income equity, equality, and transparency and to ensure that we can not just survive, but thrive along with the organization we care so much about.”

Margaret J. Krauss, WESA Senior Reporter
“I support this effort because I believe in WESA and our mission to help listeners better understand and navigate the world around them. In the decade I’ve worked for the station I’ve watched numerous talented staff members leave because they didn’t see a sustainable future for themselves. My hope is that a union will help employees avoid burnout, and serve to strengthen our good journalism.”

About SAG-AFTRA

SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other entertainment and media professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. A proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO, SAG-AFTRA has national offices in Los Angeles and New York and local offices nationwide representing members working together to secure the strongest protections for entertainment and media artists into the 21st century and beyond. Visit SAG-AFTRA online at SAGAFTRA.org.